Maj. Gen. Suharto, left, in October 1965 with Gen. Sabur, commander of Sukarno's presidential guard. After 32 years as the leader of Indonesia, Mr. Suharto was forced from office in 1998. Mr. Suharto died from multiple organ failure on Jan. 27 at the age of 86.

Like his predecessor Sukarno, left, Mr. Suharto, right, worked to forge national unity in a fractious country of 200 million people comprising 300 ethnic groups speaking 250 languages and inhabiting more than 17,000 islands spread over a 3,500-mile archipelago.

Sukarno, left, fell from power in 1965 after an abortive leftist coup. Mr. Suharto, one of the few senior military officers to escape execution on the first day of that uprising, moved decisively against the insurgents and effectively took control of the country, but not before a blood bath left hundreds of thousands dead.

Suharto, right, with Gen. Abdul Haris Nasution in September 1966.

President Suharto took the oath of office on March 11, 1968 in Jakarta. Mr. Suharto brought what became known as the New Order to Indonesia, but at the price of repression.

Part II (Soeharto, 1921-2008)

Mr. Suharto with his 5-year-old son Hutomo Mandala Putra, popularly known as Tommy, on June 24, 1968.

Mr. Suharto with Vice President Spiro Agnew, and Mrs. Suharto with Judy Agnew in Washington in May 1970.

Mr. Suharto after he was forced from office. He managed to escape criminal prosecution for embezzling millions of dollars, possibly billions, by having himself declared too ill and mentally incapable to stand trial. A civil suit against him was pending at the time of his death.

Mr. Suharto and his family became notorious for controlling state enterprises and taking kickbacks for government contracts, for siphoning money from state charities, and for gross violations of human rights. At left, Mr. Suharto at the family's Tapos ranch in Bogor, West Java, Indonesia.

President Clinton with Mr. Suharto in October 1995.

Mr. Suharto voted in the presidential elections on July 5, 2004, near his home in Jakarta.

When he came to power, Mr. Suharto refused at first to move into the presidential palace, saying he preferred to live in his own modest house in Jakarta. During his years as president, however, his homes became palatial.

The family has denied that it benefited unfairly from tax breaks and other favors and said government contracts had been subject to competitive bidding, a widely disputed assertion. At left, Mr. Suharto during his 86th birthday celebration in June 2007.